The Wayne Family Tradition
by EnotsHaihai
Summary: The adventures in building up a family. - Kid!Fic. Related oneshots. Contains Batfamily and universe that will sadly never exist.
1. Chapter 1

Hi, it's Haihai again. This time, with her first published fanfiction in the universe of DC. Batfam, of course. It is rubbish, warning in advance. To be honest, I **am** a comic reader, I **am** a cartoon watcher, I **love** DC movies, TV shows and so on, but I never really had all the collections of comics from DC (I am Marvel one, yeah, tear into me) like I wanted, so in this piece, I am stringing together various timelines, canon bits, and universes and basically doing whatever I want with it, no excuses about that. Also, English is my second language, if you spot mistakes, please tell. If you like it, I will love you to bits. Thanks for reading.

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(1)

"Get back here, you little - !" Jason swung his arm, trying to catch the silly hood of the Batman onesie, but missed. Cass shook her head and Tim smiled toothily at him. "It's fine, he just likes to cause trouble." he said and Jason grumbled, but was compelled to acquiesce, as the phrase "wanting to cause problems" was practically Damian's motto. But this was their tradition, for god's sake, and the brat had no right to interrupt them. Tim climbed over Jason's back, and Cass tapped the pages of the open book. "Read," she said slowly, but firmly. Jason huffed, but complied with their orders.

No doubt, Damian was a right terror once he learned how to walk - not that he was not before or that Dick would see it now, blinded by the demon baby's "charm", but it did not fool Jason at all. Alright, he is older brother now, so he has to act the part (never before has he imagined that he would be a brother to anyone at all - and he prayed he would be the only child before Bruce took him in a lot, so...) and like and even grow to love Damian, but he gets to pick favourites, alright? And Damian is definitely not his favourite younger brother. His favourite sister is Cass, no doubts about that, as she is his only sister, but if he gets to pick his favourite brother, it would be Tim.

For some reason, Timmy looked up to his older brothers with a reverence that at first scared Jason - but that came later on. In fact, when Tim first came to live in the mansion, he would do little else but cry, until he exhausted himself and finally plonked and slept for a few precious hours, before the vicious cycle began again. Bruce was skulking around, exhausted, and Dick did what he could, but he is not a miracle worker, eleven-year-old-Boy Wonder and all, though he understood how Tim felt and tried to support him as much as he could. Jason understands how it hurts to loose a parent, but Dick's and Tim's situations are admittedly different from his. After five days of exhausting temper tantrums, Tim finally somewhat calmed down and Jason learned the story of Timothy Jackson Wayne-Drake - not from the source, but still. Tim, as opposed to Jason and Dick, was born into a privileged family - at first, everything was fine, but then it started to go downhill, his mother and father were drowning in work and sometimes left Tim all alone. A toddler - toddler that barely knew them. And so his parents wanted to make it up to their son and on their rare free night took Tim to the circus that was traversing through Gotham to see the main show - the Flying Graysons. Yeah, it goes really downhill from there. Long and sad story short, Tim witnessed the murder. And then got invested in the case.

Jason will forever wonder about that, as the kid started to sneak out and follow Robin's trail. How no one noticed (and no one hurt Tim) is beyond Jason's understanding. Well, someone noticed eventually. Few years later. (Jason did not get the full story until he himself became Robin, but _they_ wanted Tim's collection of photos and the proof of Batman's identity. Yeah. It was messed up.) By then, Tim's mum passed away, but Tim still witnessed the murder of his absent father. Batman arrived just in time to save the kid, and then swiped the custody of him as Bruce Wayne.

So yeah. Jason was not overjoyed when Tim first came into mansion. Tim cried, he moped, he wouldn't let anyone get close. Jason really did not have that much patience. Week and a half after Tim arrived, Jason boycotted the main living room, opting steal a duvet from a linen closet and tiptoeing off to hide in the library to avoid the drama going on in Tim's room or downstairs. The library was good choice as any, as his teacher often complained he was not 'sophisticated enough' compared to other kids in his classroom and belittled him for often, something that Bruce often complained about, not that anything positive came out of it, and so he took to reading some children books left in the massive Wayne library. He was halfway through reading out loud the first chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, when he spotted a movement on his left.

Tim was sneaking around, hiding behind one of the many lower shelves that Alfred stocked with age appropriate books. He paused in his reading and Tim stuck his head out, shyly peeking at him. "Why did you stop?" He sounded really tiny and Jason realised this was the first time he heard him talking without crying. He had a really tiny voice and he kept his hands near his face, but he did not suck his thumb as Jason thought he would. Alfred called it 'not a toddler, Master Jason, but not quite a child yet,' stage. Bruce just stood in front of Jason and Dick, trying to get them to include Tim in. Not like Dick needed any encouragements, after he realised two years earlier that Bruce was not trying to replace him, he warmed up to the idea of being a good big brother rather quickly, but his attempts at smothering Jason went out the window really quickly, and the two of them stuck to the playing-fighting routine. With Tim, he had more opportunity to smother, and sometimes it helped, as was proven when Dick just let Tim crawl to him in the middle of the night to cry into his pyjamas, but sometimes it did not. Truth is, the first break down belonged to Jason.

"Cause you are sneaking around," he said, and instantly regretted it as Tim flinched violently and tears pooled at the corners of his eyes. Yeah, you go, Jason, say goodbye to your sanctuary. "I mean," he said hastily, not in the mood to calm a crying Tim down, "that if you want to join me, you don't have to hide." Tim, ever so slowly, came to full view. He was still in his pyjamas, probably slipped under everyone's watchful eyes as they were forbidden from wearing them after breakfast, and made a tentative move towards him. "What are you reading?" But even if he did sound tiny, he also did have quite a distinctive posh accent. Jason wanted to roll his eyes. Jason showed him the cover, not quite thinking it through - "does he even know how to read?" - but Tim looked at it, nodded, and scooted closer. "Can you read it to me?" he squeaked, and Jason arched an eyebrow, but nodded. Bruce would be really disappointed if he sent the kid into another bout of hysterics, after all.

"From the beginning?"

Tim nodded and laid down next to Jason on the duvet that Alfred kept separate from others for that exact reason, listening raptly to the story of the siblings and their fascinating adventure in Narnia.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the amazing response! Thank you, for your amazing reviews, follows and favourites! I did not expect such response and it brightened my day, especially as I am bed-bound for the foreseeable future with a rather nasty cold. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this.

(This chapter is dedicated not only to my awesome readers, but also to dedicated parents and older siblings. Because when babies discover what power they hold over us, no force can stop them.)

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(2)

"Say 'daddy', Damian. Please?" Bruce looked up from his laptop, sitting on his favourite leather armchair, to watch in amusement his eldest son's attempts to make Damian talk or at least babble a little. The provocation has not come to fruition yet. Bruce thought that when Damian is ready, he will talk. And talk everyone's ears off. Exactly to Bruce's predictions, Damian sucked in his lower lip and shook his head. Dick sighed, disappointed that his endeavour failed yet again. "I could swear he was making noises this morning, though."

Alfred, who was drinking his tea in a sofa nor far from Bruce, added, "When he disturbed young master Damian earlier than he should." Dick blushed and shrugged. "He doesn't mind." Bruce shook his head. Another lecture about not disturbing babies from their sleep is heading their way. Just great. Jason, who was sprawled on his belly in front of said sofa, stopped reading aloud to Cass and Tim, and scoffed. "He would be in the nursery all day and night if he could." Tim frowned at the interruption and Cass patted Jason's wrist, articulating towards the book. "Read," she said slowly, but firmly, and Tim cheered. "Very good, Cass." Jason rolled his eyes. Figures she learns how to be bossy first.

Dick frowned at Jason, embarrassed and Damian, not liking the attention of his favourite big brother is not on him, even for a second, started to crawl towards Bruce. "Where are you going, Dami?" Dick trailed after him, ready for anything. When Damian reached his father, he patted his feet, bouncing a little on diapered bottom. Bruce shut his laptop and looked down at the newest addition to his ever-growing family. "Yes, Damian, what can I do for you?" Bruce never believed in baby talk, least of all to Damian, who resented it for some unfathomable reason, and could stand it only if Dick was the one doing silly faces and noises. Damian just reached out and gripped his trousers in his pretty strong grip, making creases in the expensive fabric. Dick sat down on his left, watching Damian frown. Bruce frowned too, Damian was not one to cling to clothes, he usually went for death grip around the neck of whoever was holding him (usually Dick, Alfred, or Bruce – Jason tried it once, but never repeated the experience, as he claimed the baby tried to kill him and Tim with Cass are too young to try and carry him around like that, they only held him with Bruce and Alfred's help). After few tense seconds when Damian refocused his grip on the trousers, he smiled, revealing his toothless (but teething) gums – and pushed himself up to his feet. Standing. Oh my.

"Look, look!" Tim and Dick shouted at the same time. "He's standing!" Tim exclaimed, shaking Jason's shoulder and Cass looked up at the scene simultaneously with Jason and Alfred. Dick fumbled for his new telephone, turning his camera on.

Damian found his stability and grinned at Bruce, only bending his knees twice. "This is so exciting," gushed Dick and Bruce could see Alfred smiling softly at the lot of them. Damian, noticing everyone's excitement, did something akin to victory dance, out of character for him, and bent his knees few times, swaying from right to left, puffing up his chest. That last part was not really that out of character.

"That's brilliant, Damian," praised Bruce and petted Damian's soft dark hair. Damian grinned one more time before releasing his hold on the fabric and falling on his bottom again. It did not seem to bother him though and crawled to Dick's lap to hug his favourite person – well, favourite person at the moment, Damian was changing opinion rather quickly, but he stuck to the predictable. Sometimes Bruce was not really sure who Damian liked more. His father or Dick? Of course, he liked Alfred the best if he brought him something good to eat, changed his diapers, or found his favourite plush toy. Bruce took Dick's telephone to further document this moment, as Alfred insisted is necessary during moments like these.

"Good one, bat baby," Jason sniggered and Damian turned to send a quick death glare at Jason for the audacity of interrupting the moment. Bruce rolled his eyes. Yes, Damian is his so, alright. He recognizes that face, he throws it at Clark whenever he is feeling especially exasperated with the last Kryptonian's ideas.

"Aw, don't mind Jason, Dami. Now, what did you want to tell me?" Dick jokes to distract Damian, not expecting an answer in the least, but receiving one nevertheless. "Ick!"

("What?" Jason splutters in the background and Tim makes awed noises. Cass wordlessly repeat the word – their eldest brother's name, Bruce realizes with a jolt.) Damian frowns suddenly, probably realizing he said it wrong somehow, "Duh, duh, duh, Dick!" He squeals with joy and let go of Dick's neck and Dick, even if in a surprised stupor, automatically catch him under his arms, so Damian is standing on his brother's thighs. And he does not stop talking. "Dada! Al! Tim! Jay! Cath! … Cath! Cath!" And then the joy turns sour and into frustration, which turns itself into big crocodile tears. "No, no, don't cry, Dami, you did great, kiddo. Why are you crying?" Dick hugs angered Damian, and Bruce sighs as Dick kissed Damian's wet cheeks. Of course, his youngest is a perfectionist. "That was amazing, no reason to cry, see?" It was more than amazing, it was extraordinary. "Cass is overjoyed that you said her name, why the tears? Even she makes mistakes when she is learning to talk, and it was great, you gotta admit, am I right, Cass?" Tim and Cass scrambled from their positions by the sofa and crowded red-faced Damian. Cass reached out and softly patted Damian's head. "Good. Good."

Damian looked at them, sniffing, and then nodded solemnly. Bruce smiled. Alfred was right, it is good to have these moments documented.

(Jason picked himself up more slowly than his siblings, and said, "You _do_ realize what his first word was, right?" Bruce looked at him sharply and Jason grinned unrepentantly. "Young master," Alfred chides him softly and Jason shrugged. "Just saying, his first word is his favourite brother's name which can cause a mischief if Damian calls it out in public." Bruce furrows his eyebrows. "Jason, strike one." Jason rolls his eyes. "Alright, alright. Be a supportive big brother, got it.")


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all for your amazing response. I hope this one will not disappoint you. As always, expect my feeble attempts at English language and humour slash fluff slash feels.

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Alfred Pennyworth is thankful for the life he has been leading. He is thankful even for the sad bits, as the universe is sometimes prone to prove the sad that nothing happens without a reason. Of course, that notion is hard to explain to an eight-year-old grieving boy. Any boy, to be honest, age does not matter. As the butler to the Wayne family, he leads an exceptionally busy life that taught him many things, but he hoped he would never have to repeat the experience he had with Bruce, a man he grew to love like a son, to see a child go through a stage of overwhelming grief that would not let anyone in. But boys grow up. Become men. And men start their own families. It seemed as a foolish notion that Bruce would settle down. For a while, as Bruce took on the mantle of Batman, the Dark Knight, the Gotham's elusive vigilante, Alfred thought that he would be Bruce's only family and he despaired the day that inevitably comes for everyone – because what will happen, when Bruce's last remaining family departs from this world? Or would it be Bruce who will departs first? Alfred would not survive that event.

It was actually a very sad occasion that brought hope into the Wayne household again. And again. And again. And once again. Before Alfred realized it (or Bruce, for that matter), he was suddenly taking care of four beautiful (and so overwhelmingly sad and happy at the same time) children that Alfred thought of as his own grandchildren. One night, after settling them all in their respective bed, Alfred smiled at exhausted Bruce, he was very proud of his son.

Richard, Jason, Timothy, and Cassandra were undoubtedly a handful. Alfred thankfully accumulated enough experience with unruly (and grieving) children, so play, education and clean up has usually proven to be no problem at all. What has proved to be more of a challenge has been the vigilante business the children saw as their duty and legacy. Which is where the experience from superhero community came into action. And the world is still marching on, crisis or no crisis. Alfred learnt to take what may come. Now, the world decided to grant them happiness. But the fate likes to keep its subjects on toes, so of course this day had to come down in history exactly like it did, or it would not be in accords to their luck.

It was, actually, a really nice and quiet Saturday. Master Bruce was holed up in his office since breakfast, emerging only for lunch, and then slipping back in again. Young master Jason has been dragged by his younger siblings to the library, looking for classics they could read together, and Young Master Dick decided to play with a football in the garden (away from the priced flowers, thankfully). Alfred, deciding to have a quiet Saturday with them, finished his duties in the kitchen and then found a quiet spot to have a cup of tea and read in peace before it was time to prepare the afternoon snacks for the whole family and then time to prepare dinner. Before retiring, he did one last check on all the children – Bruce (yes, he is counted as a child) was overlooking files in relation to a business contract that has been causing trouble since last month, Jason was reading Treasure Island to Cassandra and Timothy, the former mouthing new words and the latter smiling encouragingly, and he saw Richard cleaning up the shed in the back garden, probably looking for another toy to play with.

Life was nice and quiet. And to be honest, Alfred should have realized sooner that something is bound to happen soon, as peace and quiet does not last long in this household.

When it was time for the children to have their afternoon snack, Jason, Tim, and Cass were on time as always, but Master Bruce, and, worryingly, Young Master Dick, lacked the punctuality the hungry trio displayed when they barged in to the kitchen, worried they came in late. Alfred decided to make the more stubborn of them to come down first – Bruce, obviously. He found him in the office, muttering about incompetency and stubborn businessmen. "Master Bruce?" Bruce Wayne tiredly looked up, surprised to see Alfred looking at him disapprovingly. "It is time for the afternoon snack, and the children would like to eat with you." Alfred decided that the prosecution that would follow if Bruce will not adhere to these instructions needn't be voiced. "Yes, of course, I am sorry, Alfred."

"If you could go downstairs, I will collect Young Master Dick from his room." Bruce frowned. "I thought he was out in the garden?"

"He was, but according to Young Master Jason, he came back and was hiding something from his siblings, when he passed the library on the way up." Translation – Jason tattled. Because Dick kept bringing in strays, mostly cats, rabbits he caught in the woods behind the manor, and on one memorable occasion, a nest full of abandoned birds, but Bruce did not let him keep any of them. Alfred though that maybe a dog for all the children to take care of would teach them responsibility and would tire them of the energy they kept having close to their bedtime. Bruce disagreed, thinking that they already were a large crowd, a large crowd he loved, yes, but larger than he ever thought he will have multiplied by four, and, as Alfred expected, he sighed angrily, but tiredly at the same time. "Of course, I am going with you, in case we need to phone animal control…" Again.

It was a short and brisk walk from Bruce's office to the oldest child's room. And even before they arrived, they heard Dick's voice carrying through the doors. "And you will love Bruce, he's a great dad, even if he's always busy." Alfred was about to open the doors, but Bruce stopped him from knocking and turning the doorknob. At first, Alfred was not sure why, but then thought about it again. Yes, it is not unusual for a boy to speak with a pet. But the tone was slightly different than the last time's "That's a good boy, good dog." And for another matter, if he did not have a stray inside that room, … Well, Dick is twelve years old and all of his siblings are downstairs, munching on the brioche, even though they are supposed to be waiting for others to arrive. He is too old for alone pretend play. They decided to wait, pressing their head closer to the wood of the heavy doors.

"Oh, yes, you also will love Jason, we passed him on the way, but I wanted to keep you for myself a bit longer, he is great, he is reading to Timmy and Cass, he likes it too, but now that Cass is here, it also helps her to learn to read and talk, so that makes him a pretty awesome older brother! It'd be awesome if he could read to you, too. He will definitely like you, he can be a little grouchy sometimes, but he loves us. And Cass and Timmy will adore you, though maybe Timmy would be disappointed he's not the baby anymore. Jason thinks Tim likes to be babied, but I am not sure…"

Alfred frowned and Bruce looked at him, deeply concerned. "Wait, you can't roll under my bed! … Got you. Don't look at me like that. That's because we'll never get you out if you get stuck there, and I don't want you stuck under there forever! It would be really lonely and weird; how would you go to school with us?"

Alfred looked at bewildered Bruce, who mouthed "school" disbelievingly. It sounded as if he was speaking to a person in there. Not an animal.

"Aww, I am sorry, here." There was a jingle and then a smack followed by something falling on the floor. "No? You don't like the keys anymore?" Curiouser and curiouser. Maybe it's time to call authorities. "Hey, what about a kiss? Mom used to give me those, when I was little. Would you like a kiss?" Yes, well, time to open the doors at the least. Alfred quickly turned the doorknob, with Bruce calling out his son's name when – that picture greeted them.

It was not a scene they expected. Well, to be honest, Alfred was not sure what he expected at all, but this was certainly not on the list. Or if it was, it was at the very last place, scribbled out for its ridiculousness.

Young Master Dick was sitting on the rug by his bed with a fussy and pudgy dark haired six months old, give or take, baby sitting on his lap, gnawing on Richard's wrist. Alfred only needed to look once to know whose baby it is. He turned to look at his gobsmacked son, very disappointed in him. Richard looked up, surprised, and then he smiled brilliantly, crying out, "Alfred, Bruce! Look who's here! Damian arrived!"


	4. Chapter 4

Hullo. First of all, I have no excuse. Although, if I can complain and make excuses, it's life's fault! Uni was the most exhausting this past semester with placements, essays, reports and me having to work so I can eat (even if I didn't exactly have time to do even that. Yay!). But yeah. Big apology from me, readers. I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it is a bit more melancholy and less fun than usual. A bit sad as well. **Although please be aware there might be some trigger warning this time, as a death of parents is alluded to although it is nothing explicit.**

In case anyone is wondering though, I have placed Bart's birthday in June as it is a month, if I remember correctly, he first appeared in Flash comics sometime in either 1994 or 95? I am too lazy to search, sorry. If I'm wrong, please correct me, but I will leave it as it is anyway because I needed an excuse to place this in summer as the heat in UK is unbearable now. Hope you enjoy! Haihai signing out.

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Tim shifted slightly in his car seat, the flight was really, really uncomfortable, few hours long and he was absolutely exhausted. When they finally landed, Jason wouldn't stop making fun of him for his never ending yawning that he tried to hide at every opportunity. At least until Damian had enough of the ruckus and started fussing - which then developed in a full blown screaming fest that not only resulted in Damian looking like a pudgy tomato, but reduced Tim to crocodile tears. This, in turn, only led to Jason and Cass in a bad mood, which is not good, ever. And poor Dick had to swallow his own tears of frustration and had to fulfil the sacred duty of an older sibling and carried Tim to the car waiting for them. Bruce, of course, did not look any better. And that is putting it mildly, he looked absolutely exhausted by the time they reached the airport parking spot. And that's saying something, as Tim knows Bruce survived worse and walked out of far more demanding trips without showing an ounce of exhaustion and head held high. But as his children kept fussing, the late evening heat beating his head and shoulders, Tim supposed that even the Batman has a weakness. Tim knew Bruce (and especially Batman) is not perfect, that's what makes him human, but even as a highly intelligent child, he is still a child. It was weird seeing his hero and now father so worn out.

Who knew family holidays are so exhausting. Something to remember for later.

Anyway, the car they rented was big. It was one of the bigger cars Tim has seen in his short life, but as it turned out, it was not nearly big enough. (Tim had half a mind to start crying again even though it felt really childish - and he did not want Jason to start calling him a baby again. Don't get him wrong, Jason is great, and always reads with him and Cass when they want him to, but he can be a big meanie.) The car was not a limousine as they hoped it would be. Not to be called spoiled or something like that but... Tim looked up at Bruce from his position on Dick's back, half his face hidden in Dick's dark hair, and marvelled at how uncomfortable the man from the company renting the cars looked. "We are truly sorry, sir, there must have been a confusion with your order, but this is the biggest car we have at the moment."

Bruce looked ready to argue, Tim observed, but in the end, he just sighed and made the employee help him set the car up. They did not have a space for a driver, so Bruce grudgingly decided to drive himself. It almost seemed as if it pained him to do so. He did not look like he would like to do it himself, it was late, and he has all of us to calm down, Tim thought. To everyone's displeasure, they were strapped into car seats (not like the law required some of them to be in it, but Bruce, as Tim learned, can be quite protective - thus the need for car seats. It's almost funny, because Dick is flying all over Gotham in a yellow cape, just as they all will be few years later down the road once they finish their training, although maybe not in yellow, Tim likes red better, but they are still all strapped in their uncomfortable car seats).

Tim calmed down somewhat, as Damian was _away_ from him, thank _goodness_ , not pinching him as usual during car drives, but even through sleepy eyes he still watched Bruce, anxiously checking on his 'misbehaving group' (as Alfred liked to call them when they were in trouble and thought they can't hear him) to see how they are faring. Damian, now looking less like a tomato but still red in face from his tantrum, kept pinching Dick's arm, who obviously thought it was a great game. He usually thought that when Damian did something new - "and really f-... er, dangerous," as Jason so eloquently put it the day Damian learned how to pick up stuff and throw them at his siblings with great accuracy. Including cutlery, because only the week before, he learned how to get into cupboards. Jason was playing a game on his phone and Cass watched Damian and Dick like a hawk. So far so good? Maybe, as Bruce's gaze on them lingered always only for a few seconds before flickering back on the road. It was really calming, just watching.

But he'd rather be in some bed at this point, not in this mockery of a car seat.

And Tim must have fallen asleep during it, because next thing he knows, he's being carried to the bed in their hotel room, once again on Dick's back. Everyone else is quiet and Tim forgot about the world once again soon after.

Tim sometimes dreams of his parents. They decided to visit again, sitting on the sofa they bought after Tim spilled his hot chocolate on it, smiling indulgently at much younger Tim, writing his first letters and words, but never fully paying attention to Tim's achievement. And then they stopped moving. They always stop moving, becoming a picture, nothing more than a cold memory, before dissolving into red dust. Always red.

Tim woke up to a flurry of action. Well, that is what finally managed to truly bring him to the world of living. If it wasn't for that, the heat of Central City's sun creeping up on his bed, his duvet and covers comfortably warm, with light breeze almost tenderly brushing his wild hair would do it peacefully on its own soon enough. But all of that could be forgotten in the face of what was truly happening in the room. In other words - his siblings were running around like maniacs. Bruce rented a nice large house with great security in one of the really rich neighbourhoods in Central City, but sacrificed the size of the house for the the before mentioned good security. And so Tim and Jason shared a room. Not the worst of deals. It could have been Damian. But it wasn't only Jason in the room. Instead they all invited themselves in while Tim still chased the last grain of dream sand.

All in all, it was almost a normal sight of ferocious activity he has the pleasure of seeing every morning at manor, aside from Cass, who instead of standing in a corner and observing their activities, occasionally mouthing new words, sat on the edge of his bed and drank from her apple juice box through a straw in a quiet manner. Jason was pacing, muttering to himself about needing peace and quiet and Dick was apparently playing unwilling tag with Damian, who decided that he is too posh to be coddled and forced into a bright coloured costume, which reminded Tim - it's holidays!

The entire reason Bruce was even willing to take them to Central City instead of some private island with high security and no other living soul aside from people maintaining the premises, was that one of his friend's 'son' (with quotes, yes, because that's what it sounded like when Bruce said it) had his birthday in June, but the party was organised for July. Tim was really excited, because Bartholomew, or Bart as he prefers to be called, was 'apparently' his age (again, Bruce and his quotes). Tim hoped Bart would like him. And Cass. She doesn't have other friends aside from her brothers.

He smiled and scooted closer to her, mumbling a sleepy good morning. Cass nodded at him and proceeded to watch the epic struggle between Damian and Dick over the costume. Is that a Pokemon? Jason, the meanie, finally settled down, was laughing in between bites of a ham sandwich that he must've smuggled from the breakfast room, because Bruce wanted them to eat at a table, always. Alfred was always looming behind Bruce when he is trying to reinforce these rules. Tim often wondered why Alfred has to be on the look out when Bruce is lecturing them on their behaviour.

(Speaking of Alfred and breakfasts though, Tim realised he wanted a ham sandwich, too.)

Once Tim forced himself to eat the last bite from the sandwich (as Bruce told them the next meal they will have is a lunch and they don't want to be hungry before then), all of them were ready to go out. Bruce explained to them that before they attend the party, they need to buy Bart a birthday gift. (One from each, because apparently why not.)

Tim honestly couldn't wait. It was his first time officially attending a birthday party with someone of his age. And although back home they do celebrate birthdays, the whole affair only consists of small gift giving and then eating the cake Alfred baked (the best cakes in the world, if you ask Tim. And the whole Wayne household). Although it needs to be put on record that Bruce tried, he has a persona to maintain after all and wild birthday parties for his children would fit. However, last year, well, Tim was not in a mood to attend a birthday party with kids he didn't know with siblings that only knew him as a crying toddler, let's put it that way. But he knows that Cass is excited as well. Cass doesn't know the exact day she was born and never attended proper birthday parties. And this was a great thing for her as well. She was willing to go out and be around so many people at once! Tim was very, very proud of her.

Somehow, Bruce finally found a big car with a driver. He needs to maintain an image after all. He took them to a shopping mall, all of them in 'disguise', wearing caps, sunglasses and in Damian's case, a Pokemon costume. Somehow, Tim really does not know how, he made a cute Pikachu. Dick was also a proud wearer of bite marks on his hands. Three almost grown teeth and pretty strong grip and all. Tim stuck close to Dick anyway, knowing he wouldn't let him go. And it placed a nice barrier between Tim and Damian which is not something to be taken lightly. Jason and Dick found a gift almost immediately. While Jason picked a soccer ball, Dick picked a LEGO set. Cass finally settled on plush Mushu she found in a pile of Disney themed soft toys and Bruce picked one from Damian, a colouring book of some kind. Tim however, could not decide. He wandered with Dick around the store, keeping a strong grip on his hand so he wouldn't wander off, and started to feel miserable.

What does he actually know about gifts? Not much. His parents were not really there most of the time, so they lavished gifts upon him, trying to make up for lost time. Tim did not really care about the gifts though. He wanted his mum and dad. Not objects he did not even like. He stopped by the display of roller skates. His parents bought him roller skates once. His dad promised him to teach him, but never got around to actually do it. Tim wondered what happened to them. Maybe they are somewhere in the manor, lots of his stuff was later moved to the Wayne manor. He tugged on Dick's arm. Dick smiled. "Oh, do you like these?" Tim nodded. "Yeah, and look, they are adjustable. Do you think I can pick these for Bart?" Dick stood on his tip toes, trying to look for Bruce. "I'm sure it will be fine. And I am sure Bart will like them as well!"

Tim gazed at the blue roller skates. _Yeah, Bart does have his family. They could teach him._ And Dick told him he has a cousin as well. This gift will do. Tim really, really hoped Bart liked it. And liked him. But not because of his gift, because that's not the good kind of like.

Dick gave him a brilliant smile when Bruce sighed and nodded. Maybe he could ask Bruce or Dick or Jason to help him find his skates?

(Spoiler: Bart really liked him. And his gift. Independently. Although, Bart's parents did not look so happy. Bruce however, smiled and looked very proud. Tim would figure out why only years later, three birthday parties later if one is to be precise. Yes, they always make time for Bart's birthday. It's something of a tradition now.)


	5. Chapter 5

Prepare. It was supposed to be Damian centred however that's proven not to be and resulted in Dick's point of view because Damian's a little thing that bites and I don't know how to write it and not result to stream of consciousness, which... Well, firstly, I am no James Joyce and Secondly, I do not want to be. (I cannot even entertain the though of that.) Or even possess the skill to do it in English. So. Yep.

Also. Bruce is **really** trying to be a good dad. **Really is.** He was okay-ish with Dick when it was only three of them (don't forget Alfred. Alfred always counts!). But then came Jason, and he discovered sibling rivalry he never knew could be as vicious as his kids made it to be because Bruce was an only child. (Turns out the TV shows and overpriced parenting books are really not joking.) He was completely out of his depth on how to handle the tantrums. Then in relatively short time he had Tim and then Cass. He is desperate and sometimes forgets kids, even those that will soon enter puberty, if not already experiencing it, needs to know **Why**. This happens roughly 10 months after Tim came to live with them. Dick is twelve years old. Whatever crush he has on Babs or on anyone (uh, yeah that will come) is not explored and will not be explored in detail in this story. So yeah... Enjoy?

* * *

Talk about a cultural shock when Dick first came to the Wayne manor. From a travelling circus trailer, to a juvie and then straight to the rich man's ancient house. Sometimes, Dick used to walk around the house for hours, just exploring, without seeing anyone (but knowing very well he was being monitored and Bruce and Alfred knew about his whereabouts and should it come to it, they'd know where to find him immediately). Nowadays, such a task was more challenging. More like hide and seek rather than just aimless wandering.

And Dick quickly discovered that when it comes to hide and seek, no one, and he means absolutely no one, can best Cass. After that particular disaster which involved (freaked out) Bruce donning on his costume and driving (in panic) to Gotham to pick Dick's very competitive sister from some criminal's warehouse, the Batman took his wide eyed kids down to the cave, sat them down on a training mat while he stood gloomily above them, and unceremoniously banned hide and seek from their play repertoire. After which he tiredly left them sitting there, claiming a raging headache. Which was quickly followed by a shout of " _You're all grounded_!" after Jason, not as quietly as he thought it would be, curse the echo in the cave, whispered, "Does that mean Cass won?" Yes, Dick thought, Cass definitely won, because Bruce, bless him, is an adult. He doesn't know how to have fun like a kid. They'd find Cassie, no problem, if he let them use the computer in the cave. Dick was sure of it.

But that did not change the fact that even though the noise and the population level rose since Dick was taken in, the feeling of loneliness never truly disappeared completely.

When it was just Jason, it felt weird at first. Jason didn't know how to deal with relationships and Dick had no idea how to act like a brother or why he needed to be a brother in the first place (was he not good enough?) - because that's what they were introduced to each other as. New siblings. If that wasn't a terrifying prospect... and Jason will always be a bit of a killjoy. He can be great though. When he tries really hard. It is then of no surprise that they did not get on very well at the beginning, but reached a truce soon enough. (To be fair though, Alfred played a very important role in those peace negotiations.)

Not long after the Brother Wars ended, few months at most, Timmy came into their lives and further complicated things. Timmy was a baby when he came in. Still is a baby to be honest (- a toddler, Alfred always gently reinforced. And even that was debatable at the time, what with him being a genius, successfully trailing after Batman and his sidekick for months without them knowing and theoretically outgrowing the term 'toddler stage' few months before coming to live at the manor.). He was crying a lot, which Dick couldn't possibly fault him for. Jason, while it seemed he sympathised with Tim's reasons to cry, did not have patience for it and often just walked out without saying a word. Which hurt Tim even more and when it was at its worst, he slept in Dick's room instead of his own, which made them close, but not enough. Because Jason was not there to share it. And then they discovered books and it seemed okay for a while with only the two of them.

But that sometimes left Dick feeling lonely instead.

Cass showed up truly out of nowhere. Jason often liked to joke that she just materialised out of thin air to join Bruce's cause. It doesn't sound _that_ far fetched to be honest. One day Bruce just came home from his patrol that Dick was not allowed on, something about assassins, perfect bodyguards and someone's awful love life, and he had a little girl mutely following him so close that Dick thought she'd step on the cape and slip. (It never happened.) Her name was Cassandra. And she was mute. With very little social skills. Bruce claimed that, theoretically, it is not too late for her, age wise, to learn how to learn language, speak and form sentences. But Dick did not doubt that she will have a hard time with it for the rest of her life. Now their little family had a daughter and sister. Tim soon claimed the spot of her closest confidant, but Dick was thrilled to discover that she enjoyed spending her time in silence with Dick in the gym the most. That did lessen the feeling of loneliness tremendously.

But still. Cassie, aside from training, and that one time accident with hide and seek, was really not one for games Dick and others usually enjoyed partaking in. When she was not in the mood for gym, she spent her free hours with Jason and Tim, reading books and learning, or in her room meditating. Well, that's not complete truth. She seemed to enjoy playing with water guns well enough. But even that fun Bruce banned after Jason, accidentally!, emptied a whole bucket of water on one of Wayne Enterprises lawyers. He was passing by the garden with Bruce, most probably discussing something very important regarding the company. Needless to say, their water guns, and buckets, got confiscated as well. But that did force Bruce to commission for a pool, because Alfred claimed they all can't be cooped in the house all day, especially in this heat, and water would only cool them down and as a bonus wear them down.

Whatever that means.

But the pool was not done yet, it would take another week and a half at least, and everyone was inside the house, just relaxing. Dick already hated this weekend. Friday was good enough, summer holidays were already in session and he did not need to pretend to be arrogant snob, he supposed, but then Bruce forbid him from patrol. Okay, maybe he should not have snooped in the JL files. But who can blame him? It's not like Bruce would even tell him there was another young superhero on the scene! No, he would not tell him at all. It was unfair. Just the week before, he forbid him from talking with Babs, without telling him why, and completely cut him off from his only friend in Gotham. (Dick read Babs' messages in silence, eyes burning. She was disappointed that he wouldn't talk to her and if the wording was anything to go by, she was very sad as well. Dick hated to think the older - and very pretty - girl is sad because of something Dick inadvertently caused.) The young hero from Central City is even Dick's age and is a speedster. They could be friends regardless of the distance, it's not like Dick can't use JL's system to get around and speedster is not really limited to only one area. But no, he can't even have a pet, why should he have _friends_? Bruce, as it seems, is against Dick having a life. To be honest, Dick was starting to get very tired of feeling alone in this house (in this world). Regardless of noise levels, it felt more lonely than ever before.

And today it was not even noisy! This Saturday, Alfred was having a slow day. Jason, Timmy and Cass were reading quietly in the library and when Dick tried to linger, to at least be around people, Jason gave the impression he was not exactly welcome and Dick sneaked out so they wouldn't see his expression. And he was still mad at Bruce so he wouldn't attempt to talk to him now. Not that Bruce would, he was drowning in civilian work.

And so here he was, in the garden, kicking a ball angrily (making sure it does not hit Alfred's flowers, because Alfred is not at fault here) and feeling sorry for himself. He kind of spaced out for an hour or so, the heat and repeating motion of kicking, running for, and kicking again dulling his senses.

So he was very surprised when a woman tapped on his shoulder. He will forever deny his startled squeak. She was very pretty, with tanned skin, upturned eyes shining brilliant green, and slightly curly dark hair. Although her expression that said absolutely nothing kind of brought that effect down. She was leaning down a bit to be on his level, effectively hiding some kind of baggage behind her legs. "You must be Richard," she said, with an accent Dick did not recognise, and he recognised a lot of those. "Who are you, what are you doing here?" She looked vaguely familiar. That could mean several things. She could be one of Bruce's girlfriends, in which case he should call Alfred immediately as they weren't expecting anyone coming in today and Bruce currently had a girlfriend with dark red hair and clear blue eyes with absolutely no intelligence behind them. So that would make this woman a crazy ex girlfriend. Not the first time they sneaked on Dick but the first time one of them sneaked onto the property lands. She also could be a reporter. Would explain the bag behind her. Double the reason why Alfred and Bruce should be notified immediately. Or she could be a villain Batman and Robin put into jail once, but then Dick would definitely recognise her as he can remember people he interacted with. AND as far as he knew, secret identities of Batman and Robin were not threatened at all. Still a good reason to call Alfred and Bruce.

"I don't want to be rude, but you shouldn't be here," he said, more resolutely. She already knew who he is. And still didn't answer his questions. She smiled, seemed extremely forced, more like an act instead of a genuine smile. He learned to recognise those with Cass. "Yes, I know. Beloved would not like me to be here, but he is expecting Damian to arrive today and no one could be spared to take him here." Dick grimaced. Definitely crazy ex. "Damian?" he asked. For some reason, he did not feel like running to the house and informing the inhabitants. It's not like they want him in the house anyway. The lady looked kind of dangerous, but so far made no move to hurt him. He decided to play with fire.

"Yes, Damian." As she breathed out the name, her features softened and she reached behind her. It turned out be a sleeping baby in a carrier car seat. They were really small, swaddled in a black blanket, same colour as the carrier car seat. They were also very cute. And that is very courageous thing to say as the baby boy looked a lot like Bruce even at this age. Although, the shade of his hair more resembled that of the weird lady. But yes. Definitely Bruce's kid. Dick had a brief moment of panic. Does that means he has another sibling? (Another person that will not like him?)

"Who are you lady?" he asked again, not really expecting an answer as she passed him the car seat. He took hold of the car seat, clutching it tightly, afraid he'd drop it. It had baby Damian in it. Dick looked helplessly at the smooth and relaxed pudgy face of the baby - Damian Wayne! Jesus. How did this happen again? "My name is Talia al Ghul." Dick panicked even more, his death grip on the car seat intensifying. "You mean, like...?" he asked, suddenly afraid of this strange lady who brought his baby brother here. She nodded sagely. "Yes. But do not worry, Richard. As I said, my beloved knows Damian is going to arrive today. My father does not know I am here." Yeah, why didn't Bruce mention this then? Dick scowled. Another one of his secrets.

Despite her surname, which made him more wary, but also more conscious of the fragile cargo in his hands, he supposed she can't be that bad, bringing Damian here. "Oh, okay. But still, how do I know this is not some sort of trap?" She raised her eyebrow. Dick vaguely, in the back of his mind, entertained the merits of learning how to do that. "I suppose you can't trust me now. But feel free to take apart the car seat, look through this bag." She reached behind her, some sort of baby bag, and offered it to him. "It contains items essential for his well being." He helplessly shrugged and she put it back down on the ground.

"Well, it seems as if this is good bye for now. It is time for me to go." And true enough she actually looked very sad. She spared one last look at Damian's relaxed face and turned on her heels. "Until we meet again, Damian. Richard." And that was that. She was gone.

She was gone! ... Jesus Christ, she was gone and _Bruce can really pick them!_

And Dick just stood there, holding his baby brother in his small car seat, his baby bag on the ground by his feet and going by the twitches on Damian's face, it looked like Damian was waking up.

Oh god. "What am I supposed to _do_?"

* * *

Despite his better judgement (immediately inform an adult, no matter how mad you are at him) Dick dragged the heavy baby bag up to the shed while Damian was slowly waking up, blinking owlishly at him. Completely silent, no babbling or anything. If that did not confirm his parentage... Dick looked up to the manor, hoping no one can see him, and opened the shed door, unhooking the latch with his foot. Damian blinked more furiously, suddenly completely aware and kicked out with his feet as well. Dick sent him a brilliant smile. "Cool, right? I'll teach you as well when you're a bit bigger." Damian drew in a shuddering breath, looking excited and kicking out with his feet. No babbling.

Dick smiled and hid in the shed. He was definitely not bringing anything inside the house that could be bugged or is dangerous. He doubted Damian counted. So far he only moved his limbs around aimlessly and drooled onto his blanket. He must be hot under that thing, Dick thought and took it off. Predictably, Damian sported a completely black baby bodysuit. No socks or shoes. Thankfully Damian did not seem to mind that he is exposed, craning his head to see what is in the shed instead of being too concerned. Not like there was much to look at aside from some shiny metal, but that seemed to hold his attention for a minute.

Dick did not waste much time and teared into the baby bag. Better do it now. In case Damian wants attention he will be able to give it to him. Some clean diapers, empty bottles, some kind of ring filled with some kind of liquid. What is that for? Clothes in black and white, but no shoes or socks again. Wipes, shower gel and shampoo,... When the items seemed to be acceptable and not compromised with something, Dick started to tear apart the bag to see if it is bugged. It wasn't but Damian seemed to enjoy the ripping sound. Dick grinned at him.

He then looked at the car seat. Maybe that is bugged. Or something. But that means getting Damian out of that thing. Dick bit his lip. How to do it? Does Damian know how to walk yet? He can definitely kick, Dick thought absentmindedly as he sat down in front of the car seat and Damian kicked his forearm. His eyes strayed towards the blanket. _Maybe_...

I must look ridiculous, Dick thought and Damian must have agreed because he blew a raspberry and then started gnawing on the collar of his shirt. Somehow, Dick managed to make an improvised baby sling out of the blanket Talia al Crazy left behind. At least Damian enjoyed tugging on his shirt and hair and was not inclined to get away from his big brother. Working with Damian hanging on his chest turned out to be quite difficult as he couldn't lean forward too much. The improvised sling did not have support for Damian's head and every time Dick was leaning forward and almost on all four, Damian gave up on trying to be upright and just... hanged there limply, drooling with his mouth wide open. It must have been truly fascinating seeing the world upside down or something. That or he tried to discover why he's not drooling down his chin but up his nose. Gross. Only good news from that was that Damian is a very curious baby. And strong. Dick smiled again. He had very good grip as properly demonstrated each time he had enough. When it stopped being fun, he just reached out and tugged on handful of Dick's hair. That was the signal to stand up.

Car seat was okay.

What now? He thought and looked at Damian, who was valiantly trying to discover if he can fit his entire fist in his mouth. He might be hungry, Dick grinned. "So, that must mean you really are ours now." Otherwise this whole thing wouldn't make sense. But if this whole encounter was genuine, it means introducing him to Bruce and others. And to be perfectly honest, Dick didn't feel like sharing Damian at the moment. So far, the family was enjoying quiet Saturday. Dick was the only one that had awful time so far. And Bruce most probably thinks Damian is going to be here in the evening, probably waiting for everyone to eat before sharing the news. So Dick does, theoretically, have time to play with Damian instead. "What do you think little D? Shall we sneak in? Blink twice for yes." Damian gave up on eating his hand, frowned at him, completely confused, and blew a spit bubble instead. And then again. It still counts. Sneaking it is then.

Theoretically, it should be very easy, Dick thought as he tried to swaddle Damian in his blanket again. Alfred is probably in his room or in the sitting room having tea so it would be best to avoid both. Damian, feeling especially uncooperative, freed his hand and yanked on collar of Dick's polo shirt. Gently disengaging Damian's small fingers and finally managing to have him comfortably in his hands, Dick recalled that Bruce is in his office, thankfully nowhere near his planned route to his room. Library could pose a trouble though. He can't avoid that unless he wants to be discovered by Alfred. But he closed the doors on his way out. Should be fine. And Damian was a very quiet baby so far. Hopefully he'll keep being silent until they make it to his room. With that thought, Damian freed his hand again and smacked his sticky palm against Dick's cheek. Right, so quarter of Damian free is fine, they can make it like this as well.

Dick, halfway to his room, could cry with relief, the house was almost deadly still, it was a miracle and something higher playing into his hands, he was sure. Damian, now with both hands free, Dick gave up on that, and blanket hanging off his body, was resting on Dick's shoulder, smacking his lips as if this whole ordeal was beneath his dignity. So small and already knows what is what, Dick thought, unreasonably happy, and smoothed Damian's silky hair. Damian eyed him for a second and then he latched on the collar of his shirt. He was picky. He stuffed the still dry bit in.

So cute!

Oh no. Dick stopped dead in his tracks, seeing the doors to the library slightly ajar. Oh god, they could be anywhere! It should be worrying he thinks of his siblings like something that escaped their containment. But in this case, he really - _really_ \- did not want to share Damian's attention. And his little brothers and sister are the best. Why would Damian bother with him when he meets them? He wouldn't blame him, but it would sting regardless. Ok, so, how to do this? Dick tiptoed to the doors, securing his hold on Damian as he did. Damian shuffled a bit, digging his heel into Dick's ribs. Dick absentmindedly patted him on his back to calm him down and peeked into the library, careful not to reveal his newest baby brother. Tim and Cass were huddled together on a sofa chair and Jason was - looking straight at him.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you doing, _Dick_?" he asked and put a bookmark on his page. Timmy and Cass looked at him as well. "You look guilty," Tim said and inched closer to the edge of the seat, ready to explore and find out. Usually, it would be really cute as Tim's current height did not allow him to reach ground with his short legs, but now it was the last thing Richard Grayson needed. "Oh not again, Dick," Jason groaned. "What are you sneaking in this time? You know Bruce will only call the animal control again!" Jason can be a total killjoy. Timmy pouted. "I want a pet as well. Maybe this time...?" Cass shuffled him back to his original position on the sofa chair. Jason rolled his eyes. "Yeah, when pigs will fly. I wouldn't hope too much, even with all the freak happenings around the world."

He turned to the book again, but called out, "I really hope it does not have fleas." Dick spared a glance towards Damian and bumped him on the nose. Damian went cross eyed and Dick smiled. "Nope, definitely does not have." Jason sighed, like he had the weight of the world sat on his shoulders. "Sure, whatever. Close the doors, Dick." That went kind of well, Dick thought as he closed the doors with his hip and ran, very carefully, more like a hurried step than a run, really, towards his room.

When the doors closed behind him, finally, Damian, as if he knew they arrived to the right place, demanded to be put down. Not a sound, but he made his intentions clear as he started struggling to get away, kicking furiously and waving his closed fists around. Dick sat down on the rug, knowing it was clean from yesterday, and turned Damian around so he was sitting in his lap. Damian immediately calmed down and looked around. When nothing caught his fancy, he turned his attention back to the arm that Dick was keeping around him to make sure he wouldn't fall over. He smacked at it few times with his pretty awesome strength and Dick offered him his open palm. Damian smacked it twice, three, four times before losing interest and leaned forward, escaping. He smacked his lips and ended up on his tummy, just looking around. Then he rose to all four, rocking back and forth, before settling on his tummy again. And then, to Dick's astonishment, he started to roll around. Probably a preferred method of transportation, going by the ease with which Damian evaded things in Dick's room.

"Hey, that's great! Better than walking!" Dick sat down on his bed and watched Damian move around. Sometimes Damian stopped and just looked at what he found, he even found keys locking the contents of Dick's cupboard, which were immediately snatched from him. Dick, scared the baby would choke on them, settled on the ground again and just held them out to Damian. Talking and talking and talking. Damian seemed to hang on to the sound of his voice, the words were probably a bit too much for him, and seemed to greatly enjoy the attention. There were times when he tried to stuff the keys into his mouth but the jingle seemed at times satisfying enough. And when not, he seemed content enough to drool or gnaw on Dick's wrists.

Then of course. Alfred and Bruce rudely barged in and ruined the fun.

Dick, of course, tried to hide his less than honourable intentions by joyous exclamations of Damian's arrival, but if anything, it freaked out Bruce even more. "Richard," he shouted angrily, "what were you thinking? Who is this?" Damian started to sob a bit, definitely hurt feelings, and climbed up in Dick's lap and squeezed him around the neck. Bruce watched it in absolute astonishment while Alfred just sighed, a bit angry, but also resigned. Dick rolled his eyes dramatically. "Damian, duh." What a stupid question. "Talia was here a few hours ago." Bruce looked speechless. "Talia? Talia al Ghul? I don't know anything about this! Why didn't you tell me!"

Was Bruce being obtuse on purpose? Damian continued to wail, first real sound Dick heard from him, and Dick desperately tried to sooth him by patting him on his back. Because he was running low on oxygen now. "Yeah, she gave him to me, saying she was here earlier than anticipated and did not want to bother you. I mean, why would she drop my brother off and just give him to me like that if you didn't know he was coming today?"

* * *

PS. Yes, if it is a very simple door latch, you can definitely do it with your feet if you are skilled enough.


End file.
